The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Push to Loosen D.C. Height Limits Gains Momentum
Tim Craig reports on a new push by federal and city officials to relax Washington D.C.'s building height restrictions, reopening decades-old debates about the look, feel and character of the city.
How the Sharing Economy is Saving Municipal Governments Millions
Alex Howard discusses how trends in collaborative consumption, in which people or organizations pool limited resources to more efficiently access tools or services, are moving from the private sector to government.
A New Kind of Traffic Count
Ariel Schwartz introduces an innovation in site specific traffic counting: sensors that collect information about vehicle and pedestrian movement in real time.
Can Little Tokyo Survive the Growth of Downtown LA?
Big changes loom large over Little Tokyo, Kaid Benfield reports. The question is whether higher land values will steal away its character and cultural significance.
Traffic School For Bicycle Violations Proposed In San Francisco
After a cyclist fatally collided with an elderly pedestrian on a crowded Castro District crosswalk on March 29, city leaders are considering following the Bicycle Advisory Committee's recommendation to send cyclists who break traffic laws to class.
Are Seattle's Trees Depressed?
Ariel Schwartz reports on an art project turning Seattle's trees an electric shade of blue in an effort to raise awareness of them.
Where to Find the Global 1%
Richard Florida explores the rankings of the top global cities for the ultra-rich, as detailed in the 2012 Wealth Report released by real estate firm Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank.
A Farm Grows in Brooklyn
Last week, plans were announced to create what may be the world's largest rooftop farm on 100,000 square feet of space atop a building on the Brooklyn waterfront. Lisa Foderaro has the details.
A Dating Site for Artists and Urban Canvases
Ariel Schwartz profiles ArtHERE, a matchmaking service intended to link artists with property owners eager to integrate public art into their buildings or landscapes.
Bike Culture Gets Rolling in Mexico City
William Booth reports on the improbable growth of bike culture in a city long known for its choking air and anarchic traffic.
What Will Happen to California's Orphaned Urban Projects?
Terry Pristin looks at the fallout from the dissolution of California's redevelopment agencies and asks what will come of the hundreds of projects in various stages of completion.
What Determines Bicycle Share Usage?
A recent study synthesizes Capital Bikeshare data in order to help planners assess and improve bike sharing as a viable transportation investment. As the system expands into suburban DC, this research may help predict where it can succeed.
How Much is a Tree Worth to a City?
Nate Berg reports on several recent pilot studies that have quantified the economic, aesthetic and energy saving benefits of urban trees and why the costs for replacing them can be formidable.
BLOG POST
Youth and the Greatest Love of All….What I Learned From Whitney Houston
As a childhood Whitney Houston fan and former owner of her Greatest Hits cassette tape, her death revived memories of a 13 year old summer camper standing atop a twin bed belting out The Greatest Love of All into a hairbrush microphone. I never really paid much attention to the lyrics until news reports of her death relentlessly played the song--“I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.” The 13-year old in me always liked that Whitney was singing about my generation, but beyond that, I didn’t quite understand the message. And it wasn’t until last month when I listened to the lyrics and I get it now. It is our responsibility to prepare our children for their roles in building and shaping our world, our cities, our neighborhoods.
A Career Spent Capturing Architecture's Greats
The subject of his first career retrospective, noted architectural photographer Pedro E. Guerrero describes his work, lessons learned, and his inspirations, in an interview with Alexandra Lange.
Were Politics Behind Christie's ARC Termination?
When the long planned, and much needed, project to build a second train tunnel under the Hudson River was cancelled by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, he blamed escalating costs and a burden to the state. Was he lying?
Refuting Claims to California's "War on Suburbia"
Josh Stephens takes aim at the provocative claims made by Wendell Cox, "the outspoken libertarian urban scholar" in a recent essay in the <em>Wall Street Journal</em>, titled "California Declares War on Suburbia".
BLOG POST
In Greenwich Village: a Case for a Planning Landmark, or, Simply, a Dash of Nostalgia
<p> There is a certain irony in community stalwarts in testy Greenwich Village wanting to have the stale housing slabs hovering over the bland park composing Washington Square Village declared an architectural landmark that will somehow thwart New York University from overdeveloping further the singular super block. <br /> <br /> “Fugataboutit,” would be a relative polite New Yorker’s observation by anyone who has ever been to this dance before, as I have. The plea is really just a feint to get the retro-redevelopment realists involved into a backroom of one of the proposal’s big buck backers to splice and dice the project so it can be swallowed by all without choking to a political death. </p>
The Cleansing Power of Mexico City's Vertical Gardens
Damien Cave reports on Mexico City's ambitious efforts to reduce pollution and beautify the city through the planting of vertical gardens, and other progressive pollution reducing measures.
Land Abundant Gives Rise to Gardens in Detroit
John Gallagher investigates a growing trend of unsanctioned urban agriculture in Detroit, where residents have had to take alternative land use into their own hands.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
